Twill Compound elements

MAFA2023-035

Each warp stripe is 6 ends wide, alternating black and white except between wider sections where I doubled the black stripe. Weft stripes can repeat as much as you like.

This pattern was inspired by my recent trip to New Zealand and the preponderance of black and white checked fabric I encountered there. White represents good and black represents evil. The red used for the hems represents blood or life force.

I adapted this pattern from an episode of Jane Stafford’s online Weaving School and a pattern she offers entitled “Mocking Around.”

MAFA2023-014

This is actually a variation of the above draft. I was inspired by similar variation I’d seen in a Facebook weaving group. I loved the way she had highlighted one repeat of the design instead of repeating it across the whole towel – she had also turned the whole thing however since this was my first step away from using a warp “recipe” I decided not to attempt that. The designing experience was… humbling. I learned a lot of what not to do – but luckily I got there in the end and I’m really pleased with the finished product.

The finished towels were machine washed in warm water and dried on high heat. Then pressed and hems hand sewn.

The attached draft only accounts for the center. Repeat the first 15 ends as needed to center the threading in your warp.

MAFA2023-001

This towel is woven in the colors of the Norwegian flag to reflect Caroline Halvorson’s 1904 pattern and my Norwegian heritage. The selvedge has a denser sett, as described by Dixon in her book, A Handweaver’s Pattern Book. Ends Ends 5-8 and 400-403 have two 8/2 threads through each heddle instead of one, and they are sett at 4 ends per dent. Therefore, 407 ends show in this pattern, yet 815 are warped in order to fill the double-threaded heddles.

Weft: Tabby weft – 16/2 unmercerized cotton, color – natural. Pattern weft – 6/2 unmercerized cotton, doubled in each pick. Colors: Royal blue and Cranberry red from the Woolery. The pattern weft overshot throws are shown, also use 16/2 tabby.

I wove the hanging tab of 16/2 unmercerized cotton in a warp-faced plain weave.

MAFA2019-046

Linen warp bobbins had to be very wet to prevent loops in the selvedge. Tension was a problem throughout and I helped that by spraying the threads. The yarn seems too coarse to make a really nice towel.

MAFA2019-060

We are big tea lovers in the family – so this towel in Handwoven S/O 2003 caught my eye. I have used this draft numerous times over the years – in various colours and weights of fibre – for towels and as material for tray mats, tea cozies, market bags, etc.

For this set of towels, I returned to colours similar to those in the original article:
warp – brun moyen, rouille & orange brule
weft – magenta, brun moyen (pattern), orange brule (tabby)

Warped at 18 epi, wove at 36 ppi.

MAFA2021-053

I use my towel projects as experiments. The draft does not show threads per color stripe, and the final threading was not exactly what my original plan called for. For these towels, the threading (right to left) was: Grey 20, White 4, Grey 12, White 4, Grey 24, Cannell 48, White 40, Sage 56, Grey 64, then reverse for mirror image). Total ends: 480; width in loom: 20″.

On this warp I wove 4 towels, and all have different treadling and design, although the same weft colors were used for all four. Hems are hand stitched.